


Syntax

by sunalso



Series: Hackers AU [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hackers, Bean Bag Chairs, Computer Programming, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Happy Ending, Las Vegas, Marines, Tea, Women in Uniform, dubious snack food choices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-07-27 09:49:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16216535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunalso/pseuds/sunalso
Summary: AU. Jemma's career as head of cybersecurity for the US Marine hinges on a competition against some of the best hackers in the world. Daisy and Fitz need money, and this time they're trying to do it legally. It's a showdown in Vegas, and may the best man, or woman, win, only Jemma isn't expecting to meet someone that likes her for her code, and Fitz isn't expecting to fall head over heels for a woman in uniform. Does what happens in Vegas always have to stay there?Beta'd by Gort.





	1. Two Houses

Jemma doublechecked her braid in the hotel room’s mirror. Every hair was in place. Her uniform was impeccable. She was ready.

Not that she believed her mission would end in anything other than success.

There was a knock on her door, and she opened it to find Captain Mace on the other side. He grinned. “Good morning! It’s a fine day to squash some hacker hopes and dreams,” he said, ushering her out into the hotel’s hallway. They were on the twenty-second floor, their rooms overlooking the Las Vegas strip.

Posh digs for Marines, but this was an outreach mission, and they had to keep up appearances.

Jemma was assigned as lead programmer for cybersecurity. She had a team at a naval base in New England, but the vast majority of the work she did herself. She was a programmer first, a Marine second, and a daughter third. She hadn’t been a significant other in years.

“How do you think you’ll do?” Mace asked.

Jemma was certain that she’d made it impossible to hack into the servers the military used. “I don’t think we’ll be paying out many, if any, bounties this year.”

“You seem confident.”

“A secure computer is a safe computer.”

Mace nodded. “I’m looking forward to seeing these lowlifes fail. Have you heard the rumors online?”

“I’m afraid not.” Jemma wasn’t about to lurk on hacker boards for gossip.

“They’re saying Quake and Monkey-Boy are going to be here this year.”

Jemma sighed. “What ridiculous names.”

“We won’t know who those guys are, of course.” Mace stopped in front of the elevators and mashed the down button.

“I’m sure they’ll be the ones who look the most like they live in their mother’s basements.”

Mace laughed.

The competition that was about to start would be a grueling thirty-six straight hours of hackers trying to breach military security, which she’d designed and built. If they succeeded, finding documents that were red flagged for the event, they could win bounty money.

It was supposed to be fun. The reality was far more cutthroat. Especially for Jemma. If she didn’t prevail, she would be programming the menu display boards in the mess.

****

Jet lag should be illegal.

Fitz rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember if he was supposed to be asleep or awake.

“Rise and shine!” a cheery voice called.

Damn, the answer was awake. He groaned.

“Fitz, get up, or you’re not getting breakfast before we leave.”

He groaned again but sat up. “Daisy, I’ve changed my mind, I’m not going ridiculously early anywhere, and absolutely not to try and hack a website owned by the US military.”

Daisy stuck her head into the living room, where Fitz was crashed on the couch. They’d rented a tiny apartment on Air BnB for a few days while they were in Vegas. His good friend Daisy, better known as the hacker Quake, had talked him into flying stateside to help her win money by cracking military security. At least it was legal.

“I put water on to boil,” Daisy said. At least she’d learned not to try and make his tea.

He groaned. “There’s sunlight out there.”

She laughed. Fitz got up and pulled some clean clothes from his suitcase but cursed when he realized he’d forgotten his tie. And it was too hot for a jumper. Terrific, he was going to be in a blue button-down and jeans. After changing in the bathroom, he reemerged to find Daisy putting a toasted bagel on a plate for him.

“C’mon, Monkey-Boy, we got moolah to make.” Her face became serious. “I need it. Or the shelter goes under.”

Fitz sighed. He understood how much the competition meant to her. He’d tried flirting for about five seconds the first time they’d met, but he’d quickly realized she wasn’t his type. She was far more world-wise and outgoing than him. Dating her would be a whirlwind of parties and other social events he just didn’t do. However, he knew Daisy, as vivacious as she was, still often felt broken from how she’d grown up. The shelter she was talking about was one that’d helped her as a young teen. It was a safe place, but there hadn’t been enough donations lately to keep it going.

Daisy wanted to earn, legally this time, enough money to ensure it was stable for another year.

Between them, they needed to make twenty five grand. “We’ll do it, no worries. I’m here to help. And our fans are going to go bonkers when we take down this Lieutenant Simmons.”

“Ugh. Her. What a loser.”

Neither of them had a clue who Lieutenant Jemma Simmons was, but she’d been making a name for herself in the military by tightening computer security to the point of ridiculousness. Backdoors deleted left and right. She was a formidable opponent.

Fitz cracked his knuckles.

She didn’t stand a chance.

What could some stodgy old hag really know about cutting-edge computer programming?

****

Fitz dragged his hand through his hair and glared at the screen of his laptop.

He was sitting cross-legged on the ugly carpet of the hotel’s ballroom. Daisy was beside him, her entire focus on the screen in front of her. It’d been four bloody hours, and not a single name was on the digital scoreboard the Marines had set up. Not a single bounty paid.

Fitz had been certain about an hour ago he’d been on to something. He’d swept aside layer after layer of security, only to end up with a fat lot of nothing. It’d been some kind of decoy. At the end he’d been rickrolled, for pete’s sake.

Now he was trying to see if there was anything in the code that told him it was a fake out so he wouldn’t fall for the same trap again.

His estimation of Lieutenant Simmons had slowly started ticking up.

With a groan, Daisy’s head thumped back against the wall. “I’m going in circles. I’m going to go pee and grab some snacks. Want anything?”

“Something heavily caffeinated and some pretzels,” he grunted as Daisy closed her laptop and stood.

Fitz’s eyes were glued to the screen as he sorted and parsed line after line of code.

“Hello!” said a cheery voice from above him.

Fitz looked up into the most amazing pair of brown eyes. His fingers paused over his keyboard, and his mouth went dry. He blinked and figured out that the eyes were part of a stunning face. The woman had a generous mouth, a perfect nose, nice chin, and a smattering of freckles. “Hi,” he croaked.

“How are things going along?” She sounded far too perky, though her English accent was soothing after listening to all the American voices surrounding him in the ballroom.

“Fine, I suppose.”

“I wanted to congratulate you because while it’s not worth anything, you are the first person to work all the way through one of the bits of decoy coding. Excellent job.”

His brain and his tongue were having a hard time connecting. “Thank you…thank you…” His eyes dropped to the woman’s shiny name badge. “Lieutenant Simmons.”

She smiled. “You can call me ma’am.” With a cheeky grin, she turned and walked away from him. The blue skirt of her uniform and drape of her jacket did little to hide the sway of her hips.

“Lieutenant Simmons,” he muttered. Then his brain went on red alert. “Oh, bloody…fuck.” He was staring at the enemy’s arse. Her very lovely arse. The front of his trousers was tighter than it had been a few moments ago. He growled and hunched up, forcing himself to stare at his keyboard. He was not going to get a hard-on over Lieutenant Jemma Simmons. It wasn’t going to happen. Even if she had delicious-looking lips, killer curves, an obviously brilliant mind since she’d so far outsmarted him, and had snappily told him to call her ‘ma’am’.

Oh, for crying out loud.

Daisy returned and sat back down as he glared at his screen. At least his laptop was covering up, well, his lap. She plunked his snacks beside him along with an extra bag of Cheetos.

“You okay?” Daisy asked. “Did that woman say something to you?”

“That woman was Lieutenant Simmons,” he growled. He opened another window on his computer and pulled up a program to begin attacking the Marine’s website in a different manner.

“Really?” Daisy said. “I was expecting someone a lot more, I don’t know, battle-ax-y.”

“So was I.” He looked up to find Daisy with her laptop still closed and staring at him speculatively.

“Oh my god. Fitz!” she hissed. “You like her.”

“I do not.”

Daisy twisted to look at Simmons, who was now standing beside another Marine officer, and laughing at something the broad-shouldered conventionally handsome man had said.

Fitz scowled and fixed his attention back on his screen. He hoped the wanker had a terrible personality. Or that Simmons cared about more than the size of a man’s…biceps.

“Huh,” Daisy finally said. “Whatever. Have you tried that program you wrote for that bank?”

“On it.”

****

There wasn’t much besides junk food on offer for lunch. Jemma made a face, then surreptitiously glanced to where the Scottish hacker was sitting. He and his friend had dragged over a couple of beanbag chairs and were sprawled haphazardly in them, eyes glued to their screens.

She should have asked his name. Not that there was anything preventing her from marching right back over and asking him. Jemma tore her eyes away, forcing herself to gaze around the ballroom. Power cords and fiberoptic connections snaked across the floor. Hackers sat at tables, on the floor, or just about anywhere they could squeeze into with their gear.

They were different nationalities and races. And all but two of them were male.

So far, she’d beaten them all.  

Jemma had no clue which two of them were Quake and Monkey-Boy. Her top bets were a set of blond brothers from Iceland or the two hackers from Mumbai. Both were super serious teams that worked in tandem on high powered rigs. She was keeping an eye on them.

Though so far, it was only the Scottish man, with his light brown hair that was trying to curl and a week’s worth of scruff on his cheeks—not that she’d noticed how cute it made him look—that had managed to fight his way through her programming. Of course, it’d just been a dead end, but still, it’d taken him a measly four hours.

Now they were eight hours into the competition, and there were still no names on the scoreboard.

She glanced at the Scottish hacker again. Jemma was almost certain he wasn’t romantically involved with the American girl that was with him. They weren’t even working together. That they weren’t a couple pleased Jemma a great deal more than it should.

Jemma straightened her shoulders. She was a Marine, and she did not get hot under the collar for some messy-haired hacker who ate Cheetos. Even if he had wonderous blue eyes and his rear end could fill out a pair of jeans. Not that she’d been looking at his bum, exactly. He’d just…been in her line of sight and she hadn’t bothered looking away when he’d gotten up to grab another drink.

Which had been several hours ago. He wasn’t going to be at his best if he didn’t stay hydrated.

Jemma picked up a bottle of water from the concession table and walked over to where he was splayed out on a beanbag chair.

“Hello again,” she said.

The man looked up with something close to fear on his face.

Heat curled in her belly.

“Hi again,” he said. “Ma’am.”

The girl beside him raised her eyes from her screen.

Jemma had to keep herself from just staring at him. He was hitting nearly every one of her buttons. Which had never happened to her before. She held the water out to him. “It’s been a while since you drank anything and I figured you could use some water. I don’t want to win because you’re not at your best.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He took the water and twisted off the top before gulping down half the bottle.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“F-Fitz,” he stammered. “Leopold Fitz, but everyone just calls me Fitz.” Jemma would almost swear he was staring at her mouth for a moment before his gaze snapped back to hers.

“Fitz,” she said, rather enjoying the shape of the word on her lips. “Do you feel as if you’re making any progress?”

“You’ve got a brilliant set of programs, ma’am.” For the first time the corner of his mouth twitched up. “But as tight as you are, I have no doubt I’ll be able to penetrate fully in…” His words trailed off, and his eyes got wide.

The girl beside him stifled a giggle.

Jemma didn’t share it as a wave of heat flowed through her belly at the combined ideas of Fitz and penetration. She really needed to get a grip. He was a hacker. It didn’t matter how cute he was because he was still the enemy.

“Full penetration?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Fitz appeared to be trying to sink into the floor. “You haven’t even asked me to dinner yet.”

Jemma didn’t give him a chance to respond as she did an about-face and went to look for Captain Mace. She needed to brief him on how well her security measures were holding up. Three of the contestants had even given up already and left.

Which would have been the biggest thrill of her day, if her nipples weren’t currently hard points chaffing against her bra from simply talking to…she pushed Fitz out of her mind.

Lieutenant Simmons did not have time to be turned on.


	2. The Savage Bull

Daisy’s name was the first one on the scoreboard.

Fitz wrinkled up his nose at her. It’d taken twelve hours, and it was only a non-critical document, but Daisy had broken through. Beside her name the dollar amount of two grand appeared. A thousand for getting to the document and a thousand for being first.

Daisy whooped and gave him a high five.

He wasn’t jealous until Lieutenant Simmons came over to shake Daisy’s hand. Simmons was all smiles as she congratulated Daisy, but Fitz was certain he could see a few lines of worry around Simmons’ mouth and eyes.

She didn’t even look at him as she walked away.

Fitz sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He might not have gotten anywhere observable yet, but he’d been laying down groundwork, writing programs to worm their way through the security code and poke holes in it.

He was going for the big money, but he needed a breather.

“I’m going to step outside for a few and get what passes here for fresh air,” he told Daisy as he locked his laptop and set it aside. He stood, stretched, and headed for the loo. After taking care of that need, he walked out of the ballroom and onto a covered balcony area. It was deep in shadow, the sun being nearly below the horizon on the other side of the hotel.

He thought at first he was alone as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. There was a slight breeze blowing, making the desert air a little more bearable. It’d even be pleasant if it didn’t smell like cooking grease and car exhaust. A movement on the far side of the patio caught his eye, and he whipped his head towards it.

There was another person on the patio, sitting off to one side.

His eyes adjusted to the shadows and he realized it was Simmons.  He nearly headed back inside, but there was something in her posture, or maybe in the way she wasn’t looking at him, that made him think she wasn’t entirely doing alright. The world seemed a little off-kilter because of that. Shouldn’t she be glaring at everyone inside and telling them they were never going to succeed? He approached her slowly, worried she might just leave before he had a chance to ask why she seemed so sad.

Simmons didn’t move.

“You okay out here?” he asked.

“Just fine. One small breach is not my entire network of defenses going down.” The fake cheer in her voice was obvious. “As I assured Captain Mace, it was bound to happen. Some of the best hackers in the world are rumored to be here. Twelve hours is a record.”

“Sounds like this Captain Mace didn’t agree.”

For the first time, she turned her face towards Fitz. “Not exactly. No.”

“Arsehole.”

Her bark of laughter was unexpected, and Fitz relaxed slightly. He perched on the edge of a patio table beside her.

“Can’t you sit in a chair like a normal person?” she asked.

“Nope, I’m a counterculture rebel hacker. I eschew chair use as a tool of the ruling class.”

She laughed again. “Oh, fine.”

“Is it always this hot here?”

“I think so, but I’m not stationed in Las Vegas. I work out of a military research center back east.”

He nodded. “Where there are seasons?”

“I am partial to New England falls. The trees all turn such wondrous colors.”

There were a few moments of comfortable silence as they watched the city’s lights come on.

“Can I ask what a fellow Brit is doing in the US military?” he finally asked.

Jemma shifted in her chair. “My parents were part of the United Kingdom’s ambassador’s retinue to the US when I was a teen. When I needed a path to citizenship, this is what I chose.”

“Does the military own you for life now?” he teased.

“Hardly. My initial term is ending this year.” She made a face. “But my citizenship application keeps running into issues, and I…” she trailed off.

“I’m a pretty safe person to tell whatever’s bothering you. I don’t know any of the people you’d be bitching about.”

Simmons sighed. “I think the top brass like me right where I am. I’m certain I’ve been passed over for promotion for a variety of reasons. My gender for starters.”

“That’s a load.”

“But today, this cyber defense program I’ve spent a year developing? It’s going to make things different.” She sounded confident, but her head was bowed.

“It’s stellar coding, but there’s still another 24 hours to go. Someone’s going to get through.” Probably him. He was at least halfway there as it was.

“I know,” she said quietly. She shifted in her seat so her entire body was facing Fitz.

“It doesn’t make it any less brilliant.”

She smiled at him, but it looked forced.

“No, really.” He hopped down and reached for her hand, wanting to reassure her. She let him take it, though he nearly dropped it as a surge of heat rushed up his arm. Steeling himself, Fitz pulled her to her feet and looked into her eyes. “It’s elegant. Genius. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s the work of a beautiful mind.”

Standing there in the dark with Jemma, the world and its problems felt a million miles away. It was just them, as if they were the only two people in existence. He was so conscious of her outline, every contour of her body while the sheer brilliance of her intelligence danced through his brain. Fitz leaned forward a pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Simmons gasped.

****

Jemma’s entire being was awake and very aware of the man whose fingers were entwined with hers and whose lips had just pressed against her skin.

Her heart was even more aware that what he’d praised hadn’t been how she looked, but how she thought and the manifestation of that in her work. Her code was frequently lauded, sometimes her industriousness, but not her for being the one to create the programs.

She’d been attracted to Fitz before, but now he was irresistible.

Her lips met his, and she whimpered as she fisted her hand into his shirt and pulled him against her.

Fitz seemed frozen for a moment before kissing her back. He tasted of salt and soda, but she didn’t care as she swept her tongue into his mouth. It also didn’t seem to matter that he wasn’t anywhere near what she considered her usual type. Though judging from how fast heat was gathering in her belly, he was perhaps exactly her type and she simply hadn’t known.

He broke the kiss. “Simmons?” he asked, sounding bewildered.

“Call me Jemma.”

“Jemma,” Fitz whispered, and the sound of her name on his lips stoked the fire inside her. Then he was kissing her again as his hand splayed across her back and drew her closer to him. Which was dangerous. Wasn’t he the enemy? What if he was looking for a way to get inside her defenses and suss out secrets about—

She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. They’d have to be talking for that to be the case. And obviously Fitz was a bit of a genius himself if he’d recognized her work for what it was.

That thought made a fresh wave of desire surge through her.

Why couldn’t she have something for herself? Something she so desperately wanted.

She pushed her hips forward, rolling them against the front of his jeans. The hardness there made her moan. Tugging on the material in her hand, Jemma took her mouth of his to lead him behind a trellis that blocked off the back corner of the patio. Extra chairs were stacked back there, along with some cleaning supplies, but she simply kicked a bucket out of the way. The shadows were darker away from the ballroom door, and between that and the trellis, they should be hidden if anyone else walked out onto the patio.

Fitz put his hands on her hips and pulled her against him again.

Jemma tugged his shirt out of his jeans and worked her fingers under the hem. The skin of his back was smooth and deliciously warm.

He kissed a path from the corner of her mouth to her neck.

“If I could I’d undo your hair,” he said against her skin.

She groaned.

“I want to taste all of you, know what makes you tick.” His voice was hoarse, and she shivered at his words.

“No time,” she gasped, need running rampant through her veins.

Reluctantly she removed her hands from his body to undo the buttons on the front of her jacket. Shrugging it off, she dropped it on a nearby stack of chairs. Jemma started to undo her blouse, but Fitz’s fingers replaced hers. He made quick work of the fastening. Her shirt gaped open, and he yanked down one cup of her bra before closing his mouth over her nipple.  

She made a high-pitched noise as he sucked on her breast. The ache between her legs was almost unbearable. Jemma tugged on his messy hair, and when he looked up at her, she attacked the front of his jeans, undoing his belt with a jingle and shoving the denim down his legs.

His boxers had sock monkeys and bananas on it, which would have made her giggle, except the tent in the front of them looked like something she wanted to take seriously. Her fingers brushed his cock through the thin fabric, and he groaned.

“Condom?” she asked. It wasn’t like she had a place to keep one in her uniform. Nor had she been anticipating the need.

Fitz’s face fell. “Christ. It’s not like I’d ever imagined…oh, Hunter!”

“Hunter?”

“My mate back home, at the pub he gave one to me. I think he was being an arse, and I was planning on pinging it off his forehead when I got back.”

“I’m glad I could save Hunter’s forehead,” she said as Fitz bent over and fumbled with his jeans to pull out his wallet and retrieved the condom.

As he stood back up, he kissed her again, and her surge of desire nearly turned her knees to jelly. Her breath hitched as she found the waistband of his boxers and pushed them down.

Fitz looked embarrassed as he rolled the condom on, though she couldn’t understand why. He had nothing to be self-conscious about in the least. As she watched, she hiked up her skirt and pulled her knickers down her legs and off over her pumps. She dropped them on top of her jacket.

Then there was the problem of logistics. Nothing was quite the right height, and the hard ground was out of the question. That left the stacks of chairs.

“I’m going to bend over and brace myself,” she said, turning her back towards Fitz.

“But, I want to see your face.”

Her heart went dangerously gooey at that. Couldn’t he be a jerk just once?

“Unfortunately, I can’t hover in mid-air,” she said over her shoulder.

Fitz frowned. “Right.”

Leaning over the chairs, she planted one hand on the plastic seat, which would leave the other free to stimulate her clit. She widened her stance and pushed her bum towards him. He made an appreciative sounding squeak.

Fitz’s fingers trailed down her back and over the curves of her rear. One hand left her and then the head of his cock was nudging at her opening.

“Can I…ma’am?”

“Now,” she groaned, and he thrust inside her. Her hips jerked. The stretch was exactly what she needed, and as he tentatively found a rhythm, she was startled by just how good he felt moving inside her.

After sticking a finger in her mouth, she pressed it against her clit with a rough moan. As she circled the hard nub, she realized she was going to come embarrassingly fast. She’d never met someone like Fitz, who seemed to make her body thrum with desire effortlessly.

Her muscles tightened. “Oh, Fitz,” she panted. “Can you…a little faster, perhaps?”

“Jemma,” he breathed as his pace quickened. His thrusts became stronger too, and he shifted one of his feet to—

Oh dear lord.

She bit her lip as she peaked to muffle the noise she wanted to make.

“Holy fuck,” Fitz said, voice rough, as her hips jerked, and fireworks exploded behind her eyelids. Bliss engulfed her. It was only a few moments later, when she could finally open her eyes, that Fitz slammed deep into and came with a ragged grunt. His cock pulsed, and she tightened her inner muscles around it.

Jemma wished they could stay pressed together and hidden away for much longer. She didn’t want to return to the harsh lights of the ballroom. When Fitz pulled out of her, it felt like she lost more than just the feeling of him being inside her. She straightened up and rearranged her skirt as Fitz stripped the condom off. His back was to her, and she very much appreciated the sight when he bent over to pull his boxers and trousers up.

Jemma rearranged her bra and did up her blouse. Her knickers she balled up in her hand as they were wet from her arousal and she didn’t want to put them back on. She drew her jacket back on as Fitz tucked in his shirt and did up his belt. From an inside pocket of her uniform, she pulled out a tissue and handed it to Fitz to wrap the condom in. She’d leave actual disposal up to him.

“Thank you,” she said, finding the silence awkward.

“What now?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Now you walk back inside, and I enter through a different door. You go back to work, and so do I.”

“Oh,” he said, and there was a wealth of emotion in that one syllable. Jemma wanted to tell him not to read too much into what they’d just done, but Jemma found herself not ready to let him walk away without another word.

It was an absolutely unbearable thought.

“After this is over, we’ll sit down and have a talk.” She put a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

Fitz immediately perked back up. “Alright. Think of somewhere you’d like to go for dinner. Somewhere nice. Actually, I think I was already supposed to have asked you that.” He smiled at her, shoved the tissue in his hand into his pocket, and left for the ballroom.

Jemma felt out of her depth. She’d meant a quick discussion and maybe the exchange of contact information. Perhaps she could use his expertise at some point. What he’d just said sounded like a date. Her heart fluttered like she was sixteen. Okay, one date. Maybe…maybe a repeat performance, but on a bed. Then she’d probably discover he was a complete bore and be fine with him disappearing back to wherever he was from.

After five minutes of waiting, Jemma reentered the hotel and headed for the lifts. She glanced over, finding Fitz sitting back in his bean bag chair with his laptop already open. The girl, Daisy, in the other chair, was frowning at him.

To Jemma’s dismay, it appeared Daisy had found her way to another bounty document. The total was five thousand beside her name now, and the team from Mumbai had scored as well, with one thousand beside their names.

Jemma’s pace quickened, and she jabbed at the lift button in the hall. It did increase her suspicious that the Mumbai team was the lauded Quake and Monkey-Boy.

Monkey-Boy.

Something niggled at her mind as the elevator arrived. She got on and pressed the button for twenty-two.

There’d been monkeys on Fitz’s boxers, and the girl he was with was the top scorer. Jemma put a hand over her eyes. Quake and Monkey-Boy. She couldn’t believe it. She’d not only slept with the enemy; she had the hots for her arch-nemesis. One of the hackers who everyone believed would trounce her security and give the higher-ups an excuse not to promote her again.

Why did he have to be so adorable? Or be exactly what she needed, as the pleasant ache between her legs reminded her.

In her room, she tossed her knickers in with her other dirty laundry and pulled on a fresh pair. What she needed was tea, the good stuff her parents sent her. She took out a bag, then sighed and grabbed a second one. Fitz would probably like some as well.


	3. Lost and Won

Moving chunks of Jemma’s code into a proxy program to run simulations was easy. Fitz had that part done quickly, and thankfully it didn’t take a lot of thought because he was sure his brain currently had the texture of tapioca.

He’d just…had sex. In a semi-public place. With the most intelligent woman he’d ever met. And she was gorgeous.

When he’d come in from outside, he’d gone to the restroom again to toss the condom and wash his hands. Daisy had given him an odd look when he’d sat back down.

That look had turned downright speculative when Jemma had come in a moment later and headed straight to the elevators, but Daisy hadn’t said anything.

Twenty minutes later, he had to fight to keep a straight face as an impeccable Jemma handed him a cup of tea. “It’s my favorite,” she said. “My parents send it by post.”

The scent was heady and familiar. “It’s my favorite too.”

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Taking her out to dinner and really getting a chance to talk was going to be heavenly.

“I brought some sugar, but if you need creamer—”

“Just sugar’s fine, I’m not a heathen.”

Jemma raised an eyebrow as she handed him several packets of sugar, but the sweet smile didn’t leave her face.

“Thank you,” he said, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

“You’re welcome.”

There were several more moments as he simply gazed at her perfection. Then she seemed to remember herself, nodded at him, and headed towards another knot of hackers.

Daisy’s mouth was hanging open. “Did you save her life or something?”

“Er, no.” Fitz focused back on his computer screen and the simulations he was running to fine-tune his security cracking programs. Ones he didn’t plan to use now unless he had to. He wouldn’t let Daisy’s shelter go under, but she was doing fine and would hopefully earn the money herself. It would be a last-ditch effort if he had to unleash what he was currently working on.

Daisy kicked his ankle. “Fitz, did you sleep with her?”

“What, no.” He didn’t sound convincing even to himself.

“Holy shit, Fitz,” Daisy hissed. “You banged Lieutenant Jemma Simmons? Who wrote the security system we’re trying to break? Who’s the enemy?”

“She’s actually very nice.’

Daisy groaned. “I don’t even know…how? She looks more uptight than a nun.”

“I complimented her code.” He sipped his tea. It’d been steeped perfectly, which didn’t surprise him at all.

“I should have known.”

“Please don’t do or say anything to muck this up, Daisy. Please. I really like her, and I asked her out when this is over.”

Daisy studied his face. “Since I’ve met you, I’ve never seen you so much as glance twice at someone. I’m not going to mess things up for you the first time you think someone is hot stuff.” She grimaced. “But I’m going to win this money.”

“I promised. I’ll help if you need it.” He didn’t let his friends down.

Daisy nodded. “Good.” Her eyes narrowed. “I still can’t believe you…” she waved a hand.

“Yeah. I can’t either.”

****

Jemma forced a smile as she checked on the Icelandic team. They didn’t smile back and dismissed her questions with curt answers. Wishing them luck, she turned around and nearly ran into Captain Mace.

“I see another name on the scoreboard,” he said, turning and heading towards where snacks were laid out. She had to scurry to keep up with him.

“No one is anywhere near the documents marked as high security.”

“I hope not.” He grabbed a bag of crisps. “Have you narrowed down the list of candidates for who the dreaded Quake and Monkey-Boy are?”

Jemma stalled by picking up and opening a packet of dried fruit.

“You need to. Knowing who they are would let us track their movements and pin them down, which could let us use them as assets in the future.”

Jemma stuffed an apricot in her mouth. The idea of Fitz being cornered and convinced to help on military projects didn’t sit right with her. She felt protective of him. And neither Monkey-Boy or Quake had ever been implicated in anything really dirty. No election rigging or screwing over already vulnerable people. The worst had been funneling money out of the pockets of giant corporations, though Jemma didn’t know what they’d done with the funds. It didn’t appear they were using it to live like nobs.

She swallowed her bite and fixed her eyes on Captain Mace’s. “My current suspicion is that they are one of the teams. Most likely either the Icelanders I was just talking to or the boys from Mumbai. I’m leaning towards the later since they’ve also scored.”

“What about this Daisy?”

“She’s good, but I don’t think she’s who we’re after.”

Mace frowned over at where Fitz and Daisy were sitting. “Do you think she’s for real, or that she’s just a pretty smokescreen for the guy next to her?”

Jemma was glad she didn’t have anything in her mouth because she would have choked. “No, Sir. I’ve had my eye on them, and I’m certain that they’re working independently.”

Mace nodded. “Keep trying to find these two stars. It’s a high priority.”

“They might not even be here,” she said. “It was just a rumor, and I hate to assume things.”

He gave her withering look. “Find them anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

****

Fitz rubbed at his eyes.

They were twenty-four hours into the competition. More of the individuals and teams had packed up and left as the night had dragged on. He’d fallen asleep for three hours at one point. Daisy had napped for two.

There was a rotation of Marine grunts, Captain Mace had been absent since midnight, but Jemma was still there. He was fairly certain she hadn’t slept except for around thirty minutes when she’d nodded off in a chair in the corner of the room. He’d struggled with wanting to go over and sweep her up into his arms and carry her to somewhere she could rest, but he’d been stymied by the fact she wouldn’t appreciate it, and because he probably wouldn’t be able to carry her very far.

There were a few more names on the leaderboard. The Icelanders had scored, Mumbai was another grand up, and a few individuals had lesser dollar signs by their names. Fitz had streamlined his attack and could sweep through Jemma’s security blockades quickly now. In theory. He’d still only done it in simulations, but it should work just as well on the real deal, and it was insurance for Daisy. She had earned ten grand, nearly halfway to her goal.

“How’s your girlfriend this morning?” Daisy asked.

Fitz groaned, but his eyes found Jemma. She was primly seated at a small table, surveying the room as she licked vanilla yogurt off a spoon. The tip of her pink tongue darted out and licked the last smears of white on the black plastic. His mind immediately ran away with him, and his cock twitched. He groaned again and dropped his head into his hands.

Daisy snickered. “I didn’t think this competition was going to be this much fun, but watching one of the most elite rebel programmers in the world blush because a pretty girl is eating her breakfast is making my day.”

“Can you stop?”

“No. Duh.”

“Can the floor swallow me?”

“No, and straighten up, she’s headed this way.”

Fitz immediately sat up, ran a hand through his hair, and tugged his shirt down. Only to see that Jemma was still sitting in the same place and that Daisy was giggling with a hand over her mouth.

“You should see yourself,” Daisy said. “It was like the ‘serious-hacker’ light got switched on.” He looked heavenward. “And don’t worry, I think the Lieutenant has a thing for you too. She looks over here a lot. A whole lot.”

Fitz scratched the back of his neck. “Are you still teasing me?”

Daisy shook her head. “Not this time. She’s doing it right now.”

Fitz glanced up to find Jemma was indeed looking in his direction. He met her eyes, and she bit her lip and ducked her head.

“This is so amusing,” Daisy said and laughed again. “It’s like watching the mating dance of some exotic species. The wild British loons or something.”

“You’re very funny,” he grumbled. “And they’re not called ‘loons’ in Britain.”

“Stop showing off.”

****

A little less than twelve hours to go.

Jemma was a mess of nerves, but she was still hopeful. Her programs were good. Excellent. Fitz had said so. She winced. Since when did she need a man’s approval of her work to know it was good? Just because he had a penis—

Her imagination cheerfully supplied the remembered feeling of said penis drilling into her. Her pussy throbbed, and she squeezed her thighs together.

Alright, she was more than just nervous. She was swamped with lust. It was intolerable. Her options were to run back to her room and quickly take care of herself, which might solve the problem but probably not. Or she could somehow indicate to Fitz she didn’t want to wait until he’d paid for dinner and that she needed him now. Right now.

Sliding off her chair, she ditched her yogurt container in a bin and went to her laptop, which was running several monitoring programs on the competition. She quickly linked into the data feeds for individual competitors, though Fitz wasn’t currently sending or receiving anything from the servers. Frowning, she checked his history. Nothing for hours. But he’d looked busy.

What had he been up to? Now she was curious about more than his desire to have sex with her again. She typed out a short message she figured he’d understand if he was half as smart as she thought he was and pushed the notification to his laptop.

Standing, she didn’t look towards him as she made her way to a thankfully unoccupied back hallway of the hotel. Jemma leaned against the wall beside the unisex bathroom and waited. It was less than a minute later that Fitz rounded the corner. Jemma hurried into the restroom.  The door had barely closed before he was yanking it back open.

His chest was heaving. “Jemma,” he rasped.

“Fitz,” she whispered, barely finishing the word before his lips were crashing into hers. Somehow, she ended up with her back against the door with Fitz kissing her wildly. He tugged her shirt out of her waistband, and his fingers delved under it as soon as he was able to. They swept over her stomach before cupping her breasts. Jemma groaned and pushed into his hands. He rubbed at her nipples with his thumbs.

He kissed her breathless, grinding himself against her. She thrust her hips forward, unashamed of her blatant need.

Fit abruptly released her lips and dropped to his knees in front of her. He pushed her skirt up and rubbed at her clit through her panties.

“I don’t have another condom,” he said, more to her pussy than her.

“Mandatory testing,” she gasped. “I know I’m STD free.”

“Thank god.” His words trailed off into a moan as he pulled her knickers down. “Gorgeous.” She was pretty sure he was talking to her pussy again. “And I love the new knickers. TARDIS blue.”

She tangled her fingers into his hair and let her head fall back against the door. “You really are the perfect man.”

“Maybe you should withhold judgment until I’m done.”

Too late, she blearily thought as he kissed up her thigh. He pressed his palm against the inside of her knee and she obligingly moved her legs further apart. He flicked his tongue over her labia, but it wasn’t going to be enough.

Fitz made a thoughtful noise.

Ah, she should have known he’d figure it out. His hand returned to her leg, and he had her lift it over his shoulder as he scooted closer to her. Jemma leaned heavily against the door and tilted her pelvis forward.

“Good girl,” he said. Her reply turned into a squeak as he buried his face against her. “God, Jemma,” he mumbled in between licks. He explored every millimeter of her, laving her inner lips and darting his tongue into her channel. She was an embarrassing amount of turned on and used her free hand to cup her breast.

Fitz finally dragged his tongue up to circle her clit. She cried out, and her hips jerked. He splayed a hand on her belly and pushed her against the door as he continued to use his tongue on her.  She used her hold on his hair to pull him tighter against her, humping his face with abandon as he made delighted noises.

This was certainly not how she’d imagined this competition going. She’d been imaging accolades and honors. The brass shaking her hand and patting her back.

She mewled as Fitz did something with his tongue that should be illegal.

This was better. Any praise from Mace would be grudging, and even if she was promoted, she would still find herself hitting the glass ceiling quickly, left out of the old boy’s club yet again. Fitz didn’t seem to mind her being female, and since he was friends with Daisy, most likely wasn’t one of those arses who believed all she could do was make a sandwich.

It was a heady feeling. To be wanted and desired for her mind instead of just her body.

“Fitz,” Jemma whispered, and he moaned, his tongue redoubling its efforts. Her thighs were shaking, and she was relying on the door and Fitz to keep her upright. His palm slid up her leg, and he pushed two fingers into her pussy. It was delightful to have those clever fingers she’d watched dance over the keys all day inside her.

He twisted them just right, and Jemma cried out as her climax hit. It unfurled in a startling crescendo, and she jerked her hips as he licked her through it. 

When her legs were steadier, he set her foot back on the floor and stood. They stared at one another for a moment, then she put her hands on his shoulders and reversed their positions so he was the one against the door.  She fumbled with the front of his trousers and pushed them and his pants down. Pausing to spit in her palm, she grabbed him and stroked hard and fast, twisting her wrist slightly as she did so.

Fitz moaned and writhed as he thrust against her palm. “Jemma, oh Jemma, Jemma,” he babbled in between kisses. His face was drawn with lines of pleasure as his hips bucked.

She kissed along his jaw until she reached his ear, where she nibbled on his earlobe. “What do you say?”

“Please?”

She huffed and bit his earlobe harder. His cock jerked in her hand and for a second Jemma was flustered. It was like he’d been made for her.

“Oh, Jemma,” he moaned again, and she tightened her grip a fraction.

“What do you say?”

“Please, ma’am.”

Jemma closed her eyes and cooed in his ear. “You’re such a good boy.” She dropped to her knees and sucked as much of his cock into her mouth as she could, and eagerly bobbed her head. He tasted better than he had any right to. Continuing to fellate him, she reached a hand up to fondle his balls. Fitz moaned and jerked, and she sucked harder as she pressed a finger into his perineum behind his sac.

“Fuck,” Fitz gasped, and then he was coming. She hummed her pleasure as she swallowed. When he started to soften, she let him go and dragged his clothes back up for him as she stood.

He looked a little out of it, and it took him several tries to get his trousers fastened. It made Jemma feel proud.

“I think I owe you two dinners now,” he said. Jemma smiled as she straightened her uniform and smoothed her hair.

“One is fine. It’s all we’ll have time for before we go our separate ways,” she said, not wanting to give him any false ideas. Their lives were incompatible.

Fitz’s face fell. “I was hope—”

“Off with you.” She shooed him toward the hall.

“Jemma?”

“Please,” she said. “I have to get ready to face whatever’s happening out there.”

Fitz nodded, touched her cheek, and left.

Jemma went to stand in front of the mirror. The neatly made up marine that looked back didn’t seem to fit the woman she was on the inside, the one who wanted to run after Fitz and never let him go. The one who’d gotten carried away and forgotten to ask why it’d been hours since he’d accessed the servers. He’d been too distracting. Drat.

Jemma shook her head and walked out of the bathroom. She needed to get her head on straight. She wasn’t sixteen with blue hair and clunky Doc Martens anymore. She was a Marine. And there was no way she was going to make a fool of herself over some hacker. More of a fool of herself. Why did he have to be so cute?


	4. Heave My Heart into My Mouth

Fitz collapsed into his bean bag chair.

His head was spinning. He’d had the two best sexual encounters of his life by far in the last day, but apparently, Simmons wasn’t nearly as moved as he was. He was going to get a few precious hours of alone time with her and a good-bye fuck if he was lucky. Then she’d go back to her job where nobody appreciated her sheer genius, and he’d go back to being lonely in his tiny flat. Only it’d be so much worse for him because he’d never be able to stop imagining Jemma’s taste or the intricate beauty of her programming.

“Are you okay?” Daisy asked as he half-heartedly poked at his computer.

“No.”

“What did the bitch do?”

“What? Who?”

“Don’t start with me. You took off like a shot, were gone for almost a half-hour, during which I got another five thousand dollars, I might add, and then you come back looking like your favorite TV show got canceled.”

Fitz put his hands over his face and slumped back. “I’m not meant for a quick connection with someone and then just going my own way. Simmons’ code is bloody amazing. She’s bloody amazing. But after we were…amazing together, she pretty much put me in my place and told me to shove off.”

Daisy massaged her temples. “Maybe it’s just the stress of this competition, I mean, look—” Fitz’s gaze followed to where Daisy was pointing. Jemma was standing, head bowed, beside the scoreboard, which Captain Mace was gesturing toward. Fitz couldn’t hear him from across the room, but his face was furious. “It looks like she’s getting an ass chewing,” Daisy said.

“They’re all arses,” Fitz grumbled. “They’re demanding perfection and she has given them an amazing performance here, but it’s not good enough. Bastards.” Daisy was at the top of the scoreboard with fifteen-thousand, the team from Mumbai had ten, and the Icelanders had five. There were a few other names, but those amounts had remained the same for hours. Fitz thought one had even left, forfeiting his prize.

Daisy went back to her computer. “It’s really kick-ass code. If she was on our side and not the enemy, I can’t even imagine what kinds of things we could do.”

Fitz nodded. “She’d need a cool alias.”

“We better not leave it up to you, then.”

Fitz made a face and Daisy laughed. “What’s wrong with mine?” he asked.

“If I have to tell you what’s wrong with Monkey-Boy, I wouldn't know where to start.” Daisy paused her teasing to squint at her screen as she worked through something. “I really just need a big prize. Ten-k,” she said more to herself than to Fitz, but then she looked up. “G.I. Jane?”

“Too obvious. And it sounds like Jemma should be green.”

Daisy’s brow furrowed. “What about something cuter? Sweetie-pie, darling, love?”

“Uh, are you even trying?”

“I was guessing what you call her.”

“Mostly Ma’am.”

Daisy’s brows shot up. “TMI, TMI! I so could have lived my entire life without knowing that.”

“I didn’t mean, oh, you know what, nevermind. Get your money.”

There was a pause. “So you don’t have to.”

“I really rather not, Daisy.”

“Because you like her?”

“Yeah.” He looked up and met Daisy’s eyes. “But you’re my friend, and I made a promise. You’ll walk out of here with twenty-five thousand dollars.” He dropped his gaze to his computer. “But I hope it won’t come to me having to be the one to do it.”

Daisy nudged his foot with hers. “Yeah, me too.”

****

The morning passed slowly. Jemma continued to make rounds of the ballroom, chatting with the remaining hackers. Most of them seemed to have hit roadblocks, which pleased her immensely. Daisy was still a worry She was a flurry of activity and Jemma was nearly certain the girl was trying for a big prize. Jemma was keeping an eye her, one that had nothing to do with the Scottish hacker sitting beside her whose skin tasted like salt and sin.

Jemma’s fingers twitched, and she crossed her arms.

Captain Mace sent her a dark look, but she ignored it. He’d been doing that all morning, ever since Daisy had hit fifteen thousand and he’d berated Jemma for it.

The man was an imbecile. Now she was doing her best to avoid him, conveniently always being in a different part of the ballroom than him.

As the clock neared twelve, Jemma glanced over towards Fitz. He was standing and saying something to Daisy, who nodded before he scooted his rig over to rest by her foot. He turned and made his way out the front door of the ballroom.

Jemma stared at his departing back. Was he leaving? Without a word? And Daisy was going to bring his computer with her later? Jemma forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. No hacker would just walk away from his computer. She was being daft. And she had questions that needed answering.

Jemma eyed Daisy, then marched over and sat in the beanbag chair Fitz had just vacated. It was still warm from his body heat, and she had to resist the urge to smush her face into the vinyl to try and catch a whiff of his scent.

Daisy looked at Jemma over the top of her computer. “Yeah?”

“Where’d Fitz go?” Jemma tried to smile, she really did, but it must not have been successful, because Daisy’s brows shot up.

“He was grumbling about how there wasn’t much for lunch, so he went to get a pizza. He’ll be right back.”

“Oh.”

Daisy smirked and returned to her keyboard.

Jemma stared at the floor. “So,” she started. Daisy didn’t glance back up, but Jemma plowed on anyway. “I have access to data on network flow, and Fitz hasn’t accessed the servers since sometime yesterday. My boss thinks it’s because you’re a proxy and he’s linked up through your laptop. That it should be his name on the board.”

That got Daisy’s attention. “Excuse me?” She sounded furious. “And what do you think?”

“I know better.”

Daisy relaxed a fraction. She typed a few more things, then sighed. “He’s been doing a build with a sim program. I think he doesn’t want to bust open your code publicly.”

Jemma’s stomach dropped. “But he could?”

“Probably,” Daisy said offhandedly. “He promised me he’d get me the last ten thousand I need if I couldn’t, so I’m guessing he’s got something ready to go.” She glanced at Jemma. “I know he doesn’t want to do it.”

Jemma crossed her arms over her middle. She felt a little lost.

“You really just going to hump him and ditch him when this is over?” Daisy asked.

Jemma nearly choked on her own spit. “Excuse me?”

“You’re going to break his heart. Fitz is different. He doesn’t do casual. I’ve had to sit here and listen to him wax poetic about how glorious and beautiful your code is for hours. He’s convinced he’s finally found his equal.” Daisy fixed Jemma with a glare. “And I think you’re just passing time. Fitz is going to go home to his little apartment, excuse me, flat, in Glasgow that’s above a laundromat and sandwiched between two rail lines and part of him is going to die because you’re a bitch.”

Jemma didn’t know what to say to that, because the thought of Fitz’s smile being gone was almost more than she could stand. “Why does he live there?” she asked, needing something to say.

“He can link into the city’s best high-speed fiber optic line.”

“Oh.” Well, that made sense. “I’m not a monster,” Jemma said after a few moments of silence. “We live in different worlds. It’d never work.”

“It won’t if you say things like that.” Daisy sighed and tilted her head until her neck popped. “But I get it. I’m just not sure Fitz does. Let him down easy, okay?”

“Yes. I’ll certainly do my best.” Jemma sagged back in the chair, not caring if she looked unprofessional. She turned to watch Daisy as she worked. “What do you need twenty-five thousand dollars for?”

Daisy bit her lip. “What do you care?”

“Remember two seconds ago when I said I’m not a monster?”

“Sorry,” Daisy said. “I’m…this all has me on edge. And I’m sure you are too. I need the money to keep the place I grew up in afloat. It means a lot to me, and Fitz flew in to help me out. And now I feel like crap because I didn’t realize I was setting him up to get hurt. He’s a good friend.”

Jemma pulled out her mobile and ignored the last part. Daisy wasn’t going to listen to her no matter how many times she said she wasn’t out to hurt Fitz. “What’s the name of this place?”

Daisy studied Jemma’s face before answering. “It’s a transitional shelter for kids in their late teens. Shield House, in Los Angeles.” Jemma dropped her eyes to her phone and typed in the name. There was a web page for the shelter describing what they did, which seemed like rather a lot. It was more than a bed, but a place for a kid to learn how to navigate the adult world. There were also several news stories about it, all glowing with praise. The most recent story was about a shortage of funds and how the couple that ran the place, Phil Coulson and Melinda May, were facing the fact that they might have to shut down. Jemma watched an interview on local TV where they asked for help and showed the cameras around. It included some of the kids they were helping. She followed a link to a funding page. They needed fifty thousand dollars and were just over halfway there. The deadline was in two days.

“It looks like an important place,” Jemma said to Daisy.

“It kept me alive,” she responded quietly. “I’m going to make sure it can keep doing that for other kids.”

“I can see why you’re so determined.” Jemma powered down her mobile. “Good luck.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Jemma didn’t move. She should, she had a job to do, but her mind was swirling. Daisy wasn’t just some hacker. She was fighting for what she believed in. Which Jemma supposed she could say as well, most of the time. It just didn’t feel the same, doing battle for the people who gave you a home and taught you how to survive versus what she did. Which was being the…the blasted unappreciated puppet of…she shook her head and hunched forward.

Yesterday morning would she have been having thoughts like this? Before she’d met a man with a pair of blue eyes that’d looked right through her carefully put together persona and seen—

“Jemma?” Fitz said.

She bolted upright in the chair, glancing up to find Fitz looking quizzically at her with a pizza box in his hand.

“Hi, um, let me give you back your chair.” She stood and twisted her fingers together, finding it hard to walk away when she just wanted to wrap her arms around him and hang on for dear life.

Fitz was staring at her with what seemed to be just as much longing.

“Hey, heart-eyes-emoji-guy, some of us are hungry,” Daisy said.

Fitz blushed. “P-p-pizza, good, eat, yes.”

“I’ll let you enjoy your lunch.” Jemma started to turn away.

“Wait!” Fitz nearly yelled, making her spin back towards him. “Here,” he held out a Styrofoam container towards her.

“I don’t eat much pizza,” she said, looking at the container.

“Yeah.” Fitz pressed it into her hands. “It’s a salad. Italian dressing on the side and extra veggies.” He looked down. “I thought you might be hungry too.”

“Thank you.” She held the salad close like it was something precious.

“Lieutenant Simmons!” Captain Mace hollered at her across the ballroom. She sighed and smiled at Fitz before squaring her shoulders to see what her superior officer wanted to yell at her about this time.

****

The clock seemed to be moving as slow as molasses in January. Four hours to go.

Daisy’s face was scrunched up in frustration, and he could guess what part of Simmons’ work had snarled her up, but he was also certain Daisy could work through it.

He ran the simulation of his own solutions again, watching it drill through Jemma’s code until it was all spread wide open—

Fitz groaned. Everything was becoming an innuendo.

He rolled his head to the side, searching her out in the crowd. She was talking to the very frustrated Mumbai team, looking smug as they griped at her. She had her arms crossed under her tits, and his body tensed just thinking about the strawberry points of her nipples.

“Oh my god, Fitz, stop,” Daisy said, kicking his leg. “You’re drooling.”

“Are not.” He wiped his chin quickly to make sure. “I’m totally not.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. She picked up her computer bag and rummaged in it for a moment, before squealing in triumph. “Hold your hand out.”

“Is this going to be gross?” he said, holding out his palm.

She slapped something into it. “I knew I had one left. Go bang her before you both drive me insane.”

“Both?”

“She’s seriously looking over here ever ten seconds with an expression like she’s starving.”

He glanced down at the condom in his hand, then back up at Daisy. “You’re the best friend ever,” he breathed.

“You’re welcome. Make sure not to tell me about it later.”

He wrinkled his nose at her and closed his laptop. He shoved the condom in his pocket as he stood, making a beeline towards Jemma. But he stopped halfway across the ballroom. He couldn’t just walk up to her and ask her to go fuck.

What if she didn’t want him anymore? Or was too busy? Or didn’t understand any of the lame things he was coming up with as a way to ask her to screw him? He had zero experience in setting up a liaison.

Jemma said something to the Mumbai team and turned towards Fitz. She looked surprised to see him in the middle of the room, then her gaze swept up and down him and her cheeks turned pink. He had to fight the urge to look behind him because he’d never seen someone he liked looking at him with such blatant desire before. She stalked towards him, and he didn’t know what to do except to pull his best deer in the headlights impression.

Walking right up beside him, Jemma paused. “Twenty-second floor, back lifts, follow me in five minutes.” She marched off, and he nearly did a happy dance. It was also a huge relief that he hadn’t needed to try some lame line on her.

 To make it look less obvious that he was waiting to take off after Jemma, Fitz wandered over to the snack table and picked up a pack of crackers and cheese. He ate it too fast, tossed the rubbish in a bin, and hurried to the bank of lifts. There was no one else in the lift car, thank god, because his body seemed very keen on what was hopefully about to happen. By the time the car reached the twenty-second floor, he was already sporting an erection.

It was going to be very embarrassing if Jemma just wanted to have a chat.

Fitz awkwardly shuffled off the lift and immediately had an armful of warm, insistent Jemma. Her lips were on his in the next instant, and he would swear it’d been a thousand years since he last held her.

“Jemma,” he groaned as she tugged him towards one of the hotel rooms.

“You taste like fake cheese,” she said, though she didn’t stop snogging him.

“I needed something to do for a few minutes. And I managed to find another condom.”

She opened the door to her room, and they tumbled in. She looked up at him with shining eyes. “Brilliant man.”

****

Jemma didn’t think she could last another moment without Fitz inside her. She gave him a little shove towards the bed. “Clothes off. I want to see you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He complied hastily, dropping everything into a pile on the floor.

She shimmied out of her uniform in record time as well, though she neatly draped it over a chair, before advancing on Fitz.

He was all pale skin, big eyes, and a lot of stubble that was doing good things for her. Her eyes dropped to his cock, which was hard and straining towards her.

Lust flashed through her, and she tackled him again, desperate to feel him. Fitz grunted, and half-fell onto the bed. She quickly straddled him. Plucking the condom from his hand, she opened it and rolled it over his prick, pleased at just how hard he was for her. She positioned his cock and slid down his length, leaning forward to kiss him again once he was entirely inside of her. The prod of him against just the right place inside made her moan. He reached for her, but she intercepted his hands, grabbing his wrists and pinning them to the bed with a growl.

She stopped. What the hell was she doing? Manhandling someone she barely knew. In her experience, men didn’t appreciate her tendency to take control. She pushed herself up. “Sorry.”

Fitz looked dazed. “Huh?” He hadn’t moved his arms from where she’d put them.

“I got a little carried away.”

“Okay.” He bucked his hips up, and she bit her lip and whimpered. “Carried away is good.”

“You can take over if you want.”

He blinked and looked completely puzzled. “Why would I want to do that?”

Jemma’s heart flipped. He couldn’t be that perfect, could he? They’d just been playing around before with the power dynamics. It’d been window dressing. This was real, and he was still into it. It was like she’d been waiting for Fitz her entire life.

She raised and lowered herself on his prick and his eyes slid shut. She reached out and cupped his cheek as she began to ride him in earnest. When his hands twitched, she pinned them again, and he moaned.

The bed was shuddering under them as they moved together, and Jemma couldn’t help the noises she was making. Her belly was tightening, and her head fell back as she ground hard against Fitz every time she slammed down onto him.

He was groaning, and his face was a beautiful mix of pleasure and pain.

It was a face she wouldn’t mind seeing first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

A face she could lo—

An orgasm caught her, and she keened as her vision whited out.

Fitz was grunting and thrusting his hips upwards as she rode out her climax. She sagged forward, then grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts. He made a very happy sound and smiled.

Jemma continued rolling her hips as Fitz kneaded her tits and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples.  He cracked an eye open, watching his hands on her body, then raising his gaze to her face.

“You’re magnificent, Jemma,” he said. “Every part of you. Your heart, your mind, and bloody hell, you have nice tits. And really nice code.”

She giggled, but it turned into a gasp as Fitz dropped a hand to circle her clit.

Her toes curled, and her thighs quivered. “Fitz,” she breathed, then came again with a started gasp. As her body pulsed orgasm, Fitz grunted and thrust harder upwards, peaking with a harsh moan. His cock jerked as he spent himself, and he looked lost when she started to get off him. “Condom,” she reminded him, and he cursed and rolled to the side to dispose of it.

Once he’d tossed it in the bin beside the bed, he returned to lying on his back, and she snuggled into his side and put her head on his shoulder.

“We can’t stay long,” she said, and Fitz sighed.

“I know. Promise me dinner tomorrow night. I know you don’t…that your career comes first, but one dinner would be wonderful.”

She glanced up at him, but his eyes were on the ceiling as he stroked her back.

“Six-thirty tomorrow night,” she said. “Don’t be late.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jemma kissed his chest. She couldn’t convince herself to move. She felt at peace. At home. “Do you really live in a crap-ass flat between two rail lines?” she finally asked.

“It’s got great internet access.”

“That you don’t pay for?”

“I’d be breaking some kind of hacker creed if I did something as mundane as that.”

She laughed.

“And you get used to the trains. I sleep right through them.”

“I bet you’re cute when you’re asleep.”

“I probably snore.”

It would still be cute. Jemma kissed Fitz again. “I do have to go back down. Hopefully, at least some of my security is holding.” She sat up, and so did Fitz, but he caught her hand.

“There no rule you have just to stand back and let people pick apart your work. I checked. Get on a computer and work real time. Fight back.”

Jemma stared at him. “That’s not how it’s usually done.” Her mind was already parsing out the syntax of new lines of code she could use.

“So?”

“That’s what…”

“That’s what a hacker does? Code on the fly? I’m absolutely sure you can.”

Her brain was already starting to form a plan. She grinned. “I can.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “Thank you.”

As they dressed, she made more tea, and sent him down with a cup, following a few minutes later.

As she crossed the ballroom and sat down behind her rig, she could feel Fitz’s eyes on her. She took a sip of her tea, and he flashed her a surreptitious thumbs up. She bit her lip and then grinned.

Daisy rolled her eyes.

Jemma glanced at the scoreboard. Nothing new, so she would most likely be spared a lecture from Captain Mace. Small favors.

Opening several windows and booting up her favorite tools, she set her hands on the keys.

Time to go to war.


	5. A Heaven on Earth

Less than an hour left. Jemma was sweating, and some of her hair had escaped her braid, but she didn’t pause to do more than push it out of her face.

She couldn’t help but be peripherally aware of Fitz, who was curled around his laptop and working furiously as well. Probably at defeating the new measures she was putting in place.

Captain Mace kept coming to hover behind her shoulder, which was annoying, but he didn’t know what she was doing, so he’d get bored and leave, only to circle back a few minutes later.

Since she’d actively started fighting there’d been no new scores posted. She’d completely blocked out the Icelandic team, but the Mumbai one was still a threat. Sai and Yash, they’d finally told her their names, looked exhausted as they stared at their screens.

Daisy was the one Jemma was really worried about. Quake wasn’t gunning for any of the highest value targets. She was after something in the ten-thousand-dollar range. And she was very close to getting it.

“Figure it out yet?” Captain Mace said from behind Jemma.

“Figure what out?”

“Quake and Monkey-Boy?”

Jemma sighed. Not removing her eyes from the screen, she shook her head. “They’re not here.”

“You sure about that?”

Jemma knew she was a terrible liar, but it wasn’t like she’d confirmed who Fitz and Daisy were. “Yes. When we get back to Maryland, we can start trying to figure out their identities. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to concentrate.”

Captain Mace huffed but let her be.

The idea of walking into work next Monday did not sound very appealing. There was going to be no promotion. She’d be lucky to still have her position as it was, though she was going to make the case that she’d had a good showing with less money given away than ever before and that now that she knew what she was up against she could do even better.

A complete shut-out was an excellent goal, but if she was at the competition next year, all she’d be looking for would be Fitz and his smile.

Would he even talk to her after this? A year was a long time. He could meet someone.

She growled under her breath.

Twelve months of not feeling like she did with him, and not just how he’d made her come. Though that’d been lovely too. He’d made her feel valued. The months would drag on forever, and maybe it wouldn’t be the same when they saw each other again.  If they saw each other again.

Jemma glanced at Fitz over the top of her computer. He was frowning at his screen, and she hoped it was because he was cross with a change she’d made. Stretching a leg out, he lifted his rear before settling back on his bean bag chair. Her nipples tightened against the fabric of her bra.

Damn it. He needed to stop being unfairly attractive.

No, there was no way the attractions was going to be different. She would bust her rear for a year, finally work through her citizenship papers, and then have a few days of bliss to look forward too as a reward.

If only all the time in between wouldn’t be so cold and lonely.

****

Fitz was impressed. Jemma had thrown down the gauntlet, and he’d been scrambling to keep up with her.

It made him want to kiss her even more. He hadn’t had fun like this in ages.

Things got progressively less exciting as the clock unwound the last hour of the competition.

Jemma stopped working with ten minutes to go, which allowed Fitz to run through his simulation twice in quick succession. He was still able to penetrate her security completely.

Crap, poor word choice. His cock twitched, and he sighed. He certainly hadn’t had his fill of Lieutenant Simmons. Though frankly, he didn’t know if a lifetime would be long enough.

“Fitz,” Daisy said, and he glanced over at her. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“You can,” he said. “I know you can. Jemma’s not coding. Press through it. You still have time.”

Jemma was looking over at them, concern on her face.

“I don’t know,” Daisy half shouted. “I’m tired, I’m frustrated, and I can’t let the shelter down! I know you don’t want to do this, but I need your help.”

Fitz’s shoulders slumped, and he linked back into the Marine’s website, preparing to take his work live. “I’ve got it so it takes less than a minute. Work down to the wire before I unleash it.”

“Are you kidding me?” Daisy said, sounding pissed. “What if you’re wrong?”

He shrugged. “I think I have a handle on how Jemma’s mind works. Everything will be fine.”

“Just because she’s been polishing your knob does not mean you understand her.”

He groaned. “Dais, I understand her from how she writes code. And I’m not going to let you down. Just keep going, alright?”

“Fine,” she snapped, hunching her shoulders.

Fitz dragged a hand down his face. Glancing over at Jemma he found her staring at him and Daisy, a pained look on her face. Her brows drew together, and then she looked down at her keyboard and started typing again.

Oh, christ. There were only minutes left. Fuck.

He closed his eyes and hovered his fingers over the keys that would unleash his hack. And probably destroy any chance he had with Jemma at all. He grimaced. He couldn’t let Daisy down. Nor all the kids that depended on Shield House. Maybe Jemma would understand.

Fitz took a deep breath.

Daisy let out a whoop that made him jump and nearly drop his laptop.

“I got it!” she screamed. “One second I was going and circles and then I was through!”

Twenty-five thousand dollars was beside her name on the scoreboard. Fitz shut his laptop and sagged in relief. He dropped his head into his hands and let out a breath. Daisy jumped to her feet, startling Fitz, and ran to high five one of the other hackers. Looking over at Jemma, he was surprised to see she was smiling faintly. She pushed her chair back and came around the side of the table before walking straight over to him and kneeling.

He studied her for a moment as she tilted her head and looked at the screen on his laptop.

“You let Daisy in, didn’t you?” he asked softly.

She blushed and reached up to pull the pins out of her hair. “Don’t tell her, alright?” Jemma’s hair came down in waves while he watched, mesmerized. His fingers ached to run through it.

“I won’t,” he finally said, when Jemma fixed him with a glare. “Ma’am.”

She smiled. “Now, I didn’t overhear the entire conversation, but I believe you said something, Monkey-Boy, about being able to get through my defenses in less than a minute?”

He started to speak but snapped his mouth closed as what Jemma had said fully hit him. “What?” he managed.

“I’ve known for a while.” Jemma waved a hand dismissively.

“But how?”

“Your boxers.”

He groaned and slumped down. “They’re for luck.” He should have worn anything besides the sock monkey ones, not that he’d known his pants would be on display.

“You did get pretty lucky.”

Fitz shook his head and sat up, turning towards Jemma. “I’m not sure I know what planet I’m on right now.”

“I won’t tell anybody about who you and Daisy are.” She made a face as she looked towards Captain Mace.

“Thank you, but why?”

“Because—”

“I mean why help Daisy?”

Jemma put a hand on his knee. “She told me what she needed the money for when you were gone to pick up lunch. And sometimes there are more important things than impressing my bosses.”

“Yeah?”

She smiled shyly at him. “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone that either.”

He chuckled. “My lips are sealed.”

“Can you run the proxy and show me what you’ve got?” she asked. Fitz scooted over, and she sat down beside him. Her head swiveled towards Captain Mace again, but he was congratulating Daisy with a sour look.

Sharing the beanbag chair made things a bit scrunched, but Fitz really didn’t mind. He shifted his laptop so Jemma could easily see, but then he turned towards her as worry gnawed at him.

“Are you sure you want to see this?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s just…are you going to be mad at me?”

She looked back at him and her nose wrinkled up. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”

“Because I beat you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Just run the bloody program.”

He hesitated a second longer, then entered the commands to start the simulation. Jemma leaned forward, and her lips thinned as his code began doing its thing. It brushed right through her security, and when it was complete, all the bounty documents were available as separate files with icons to click on.

“Fitz,” she said softly. “Why didn’t you execute this? It’s worth a hundred thousand dollars.”

He shrugged. “Like you said, some things are more important.”

Jemma looked up at him, her dark eyes brimming with something that he thought might be tears.

There was a cheer from the other side of the room, and he glanced over to where Daisy was being slapped on the back and having her hand shook. Jemma pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met. And now that I’ve seen this run, I know exactly how to stop you. We can talk about it tomorrow. I’ll be in front of the restaurant on the first floor of this hotel. Now you better run along and party while I go and get an epic dressing down.” Mace was glowering in their direction.

“Will you be alright?” Fitz asked, wanting to protect her.

“Yes. I’m seeing a few things very clearly right now. Tomorrow,” she said, standing. He caught her hand.

“Jemma, I’m just going back to the flat to crash. I’m exhausted. I’m not one for parties.” It felt important for her to know he wasn’t running out and celebrating her loss, even if he was thrilled for Daisy.

Jemma tilted her head. “Have a good time, whatever you do. I’m very glad to have met you, Fitz.”

She turned smartly on her heel and walked away without looking back.

Fitz’s heart sank. He’d be there tomorrow. He just didn’t know if she would be, or how things would go. That had sounded like goodbye.

****

The ceiling had not changed during the last hour. With a sigh, Jemma sat up in her dark hotel room on the side of the bed and stretched. She’d been so exhausted she’d fallen asleep almost immediately but had woken up a few hours later and hadn’t been able to turn her brain back off.

Captain Mace had ranted and railed at her, as she’d been expecting, but he hadn’t threatened to reassign her. Or even asked why she’d been sitting with Fitz. Jemma had the impression she was going to be chained to her computer in Maryland for another year, with no recognition or praise for what she had achieved.

Another part of her mind was reworking the counter to how Fitz had gotten through her security.

She was certain if she just…

Jemma rubbed her eyes and stood, walking over to the window.

It was the middle of the night, but the lights of the Las Vegas strip shined brightly. It seemed tawdry to her, a colorful blaze to hide how ugly the city really was. How many desperate and beaten down people came here to forget who they were, if only for a little while.

Jemma put her hand on the glass. She hadn’t forgotten at all. If anything she’d remembered who she had once been. Someone who had cared for a larger world than just her semi-annual performance review. She’d thought she’d grow up to be Daisy, not whoever she was now. Sixteen-year-old her wouldn’t recognize who she’d become.

Turning away from the window, she picked up her mobile and checked the fundraising page for Shield House. They’d reached their goal, and she watched the thank you video from a very happy Phil and Melinda.

Deciding she wasn’t getting back to sleep immediately, Jemma dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt before grabbing twenty bucks and heading to where dreams went to die, the slot machine floor of the casino. She changed her cash for quarters and sat down at a machine with blinking lights and happy music.

Mindlessly, she fed it and pushed the button, watching the tumblers spin as memories of the last two days replayed in her head. Kisses, caresses, and sweet words. Fitz liked her. And, if she was being honest, she liked him. A lot. She liked who she was with him.

Jemma tapped the button on the slot machine again. So far, all it’d done was take her money. She had a choice going forward, didn’t she? Either she went back to Maryland and continued as she had been, or she started over. The last eight years hadn’t been a waste, she’d learned a lot, but now she was left feeling empty. There were things more important than following the rules.

Starting over would be terrifying. Probably. Or maybe not, if Jemma didn’t do it alone. Though it seemed a hell of a thing to ask Fitz, to sort of adopt her and give her a place to live as she figured out how to navigate the cybersecurity world from the other side.

Jemma snorted at herself. Adopt probably wasn’t the right word. More move in and spend a lot of time with no clothes on. ‘Naked hacking’ sounded like a bad TV show. Though having endless time with Fitz and waking up to him every morning sounded like heaven. Maybe she should just ask.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the slot machine she was at started clanging excitedly. The tumblers had stopped on three sevens, and all the flashing lights were flashing even brighter. She’d hit the jackpot. Bewildered, Jemma looked around as a bored looking casino employee came over and directed her to the exchange window. The clerk counted out five hundred dollars and gave it to Jemma. Deciding that was a good way to end her night, Jemma walked past the other people who were playing slots in the wee hours of the morning, ignored their envious glances, and headed towards the lifts.

She stopped short as someone yelled her name and turned to find a flushed Daisy rushing towards her. Daisy pulled Jemma into a hug.

“Congrats on your win,” Jemma said when a giggling Daisy finally let her go. Jemma craned her neck but didn’t see Fitz among the people Daisy was with.

Daisy shook her head. “Your boyfriend went to get some sleep as soon as the competition was over.”

Jemma hoped she wasn’t as blushing as much as she thought she was.

“You guys have a date tomorrow, right?” Daisy asked, bright-eyed and bouncing on her toes. Jemma was impressed that she was managing to be so perky while being sloshed.

Jemma smiled. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Probably not as much as Fitz. He’s over the moon. Totally in love.” Daisy slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oops, I’m not supposed to say that.”

Jemma bit her lip. It was a might early for that word, but it did give her hope. “Hey, Daisy, if, hypothetically, there was someone who wanted not to be doing what she was anymore and instead move to, uh, Glasgow and, well, maybe do things more like how you do…do you think Fitz would be into that?”

Daisy snorted. “He’d hypothetically have an Elvis impersonator marry you two this minute if you wanted to.” She fixed Jemma was a considering look and poked her arm with a finger. “You have to have a cool hacker name.”

“Oh,” Jemma grinned. “I already do. I didn’t always work for the government.”

“Good, because you don’t want Fitz to pick it.”

Jemma gave Daisy another hug. “Now that’s the truth.”

****

Jemma tugged at the hem of her dress. She was fifteen minutes early but had worried about being late since it had taken her forever to decide on what dress to wear. She’d ended up in a black one with a too short skirt and spaghetti straps, but had given in to what had been her younger self’s idea of cool and bought chunky boots to go with it. She’d also been to the salon, and her hair was several inches shorter with a blue streak on one side. Her jackpot money had gone to good use.

She didn’t have to wait very long before she saw Fitz walking through the front doors of the hotel’s lobby. Her breath caught. His curls were mostly tamed, and he had on a white button with the collar open over blue slacks. Jemma wanted to run into his arms, but she didn’t want to scare him. What she was about to ask him was scary enough. Hopefully, a good meal and several glasses of wine would make it easier.

Fitz had stopped in the middle of the floor and was glancing around, obviously trying to find her.

Oh, screw it.

“Fitz,” she called, and he turned, his arms opening wide as she barreled into them. He wrapped her in a tight hug. He smelled clean and like aftershave, though his scruff didn’t look any thinner. She didn’t want to let him go.

“Jemma,” he whispered, petting her back. “I hope I look okay. I couldn’t find any of my ties or my razor and Daisy swore she hadn’t seen them either.”

His eyes were shining and he looked so happy to see her. She wondered if his heart was beating as hard as hers was. She took a step back and pretended to study him. “I think you’ll do.”

“You look nice.” He reached out and traced a finger over the streak in her hair. “I like this. Is it just temporary? I’m pretty sure that’s not in the uniform handbook.”

She smiled. “Probably not, but I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

“Uh…you don’t?”

“I turned in my commission this morning. Captain Mace was stunned, kept harping on about who did I think they were going to get to do cybersecurity now. I told him it wasn’t my problem.”

Fitz looked stunned.

“Then I made a few phone calls and drove to Nellis for some paperwork. I’m officially a civilian. Or will be soon.”

“You quit?”

“In so many words, yes.” And it’d been one of the best moments of her life.

“But your citizenship?”

She looked down, feeling shy as her stomach fluttered. “Well…”

Fitz took her hand and laced their fingers together. “You can tell me, remember?”

She shivered as they touched. “Yeah.” Jemma took a deep breath. “We were supposed to have something to drink before I got to this. And my parents are going to be so shocked.” She paused.

“Go on.”

She looked studied his face, the one she wouldn’t mind waking up to. “I thought I might go back to Britain.” Her voice was soft, and she tightened her hold on his hand.

“Jemma?” he sounded breathless.

“I hear there’s this little flat in Glasgow between two rail lines with great internet access.”

Fitz didn’t say anything, just pulled her into a kiss as his arms snuck around her. His mouth was hard and hungry on hers, making her moan.

When he finally let her go, they both had to catch their breath. “You’re going to need a cool hacker name,” he said.

She raised a brow. “So that’s a yes? I can live with you?”

“Yes!” he shouted, then grinned sheepishly.

She twisted to look at the restaurant, then back at Fitz. “How does room service sound?”

He nodded eagerly and took off towards the lift bank with her in tow. They crammed into the car with a crowd of other people. He held her close the whole way up, and kept pressing little kisses to her neck.

Jemma was surprised when he didn’t immediately maul her when they got to her room.

“How long before you can be in Scotland?” he asked.

“I have to fly to Maryland, get a few things, and give away the rest. I don’t own much. Maybe I always knew that flat wasn’t home. I think I can be there three days from now.”

Fitz made a face. “That’s too bloody long without you. Let me see your computer.”

She pointed at the desk in the room, and he sat down in front of it. She keyed in her PIN as Fitz hooked his mobile up to it and started typing. “What flight are you on?” he asked.

Jemma told him as she leaned over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think?”

“I could swear you’re changing around booking information for you and me on our flights out of Vegas so you can come with me.”

“Yup. And getting you a seat next to mine on a flight to Glasgow out of Dulles.”

Jemma raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound legal.”

“That a problem?”

“Just make sure they have a vegetarian meal for me.”

Fitz grinned.

It took him less than twenty minutes to arrange everything, during which time she kicked off her shoes and leaned on the desk to watch him.

Jemma was shocked by how easy he’d made it seem and wondered if she could do better. “I think we could pay the bills by overtly hacking companies and then offering them security.”

“I like the way you think, but only if that security comes with adding backdoors into their private servers. I tend towards the Robin Hood model of hacktivism.”

“I’m not an amateur.”

Fitz stood, and she led him to the bed. He sat down as she pulled the straps of her dress off and let it slide to the floor.

“Jemma,” he breathed as she straddled him.

She put her arms around his neck. “Call me Catalyst.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

****

**Epilogue**

Hunter rubbed at his face as he trudged into the pub. Bobbi was expecting him home soon, and he didn’t want to be late because their couch was lumpy, but he’d told his mate he’d stop by for a pint after work.

He glanced around but didn’t see Fitz. It wasn’t like him to be late. Maybe he was still on American time. Hopefully, he’d have at least one good story from Vegas, about showgirls or mobsters or something. Though Fitz was probably the only bloke that could somehow make a trip to Sin City boring.

Hunter ordered a pint of his usual and headed towards the back where their booth was, then cursed when he saw it was already occupied by some wanker with a bird in a miniskirt on his lap who he was making out with.

Marching over to tell them to sod off, Hunter nearly had a heart attack when the couple looked up at him, and it was bloody Fitz with his hand resting on the chit’s thigh.

“Hello, Hunter,” he said, grinning. “This is Jemma. She’s English, but I met her in Vegas.”

“Hello,” he said automatically. The girl looked like a bit of a rebel, with smoky eyes and a few artistic holes in her shirt. The strap of a bright red bra was peeking through one.

She was smiling. “So this is the Hunter whose forehead I saved?”

“Forehead?” Hunter said as he sat down across from them. He would have been less shocked if Fitz had decided to join a cult.

“Yes,” Jemma said. “Fitz said something about pinging the condom you gave him as a joke off your forehead, but I saved you.”

“Er, thanks.” It had been a joke. Hunter had never imagined Fitz going to a hacker convention and coming back with an armful of Jemma. “Where are you staying?”

“With Fitz.”

Hunter made a face. “Bloody hell, with those trains rumbling by all day and night?”

“It’s got great internet access.”

“Oh no, you’re one of them,” he said, aghast.

“I suppose so. I was a Marine officer until this last week.”  

Hunter shook his head, the frowned. “Wait, Fitz turned you bad?”

Fitz looked heavenward, but Jemma laughed. “He just let me see myself clearly. And he’s a genius.”

“So’s Jemma,” Fitz said, draining the end of his pint. “She’s proper brilliant. You should see her code.”

Hunter leaned against the wooden back of the booth. There really was someone for everyone. “I’ll take your word on it.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now tell me Jemma, how did he seduce you?”

She tilted her head back and laughed. “Just by being Fitz.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments of any length are always welcome and they help feed the muse! 
> 
> -sunAlso, October 16, 2018 1305, my living room

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are loved and make my day! Either here or on tumbler [@sunalsolove](https://sunalsolove.tumblr.com)


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